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Thursday, February 1, 2018

Thursday Coffeetalk (and a rebrand)

If we were having coffee today, I would share that I have missed this space but also enjoyed a nice little hiatus over the Holidays. The past few months have been so busy for our family but in the very best ways. Madeline is really on the go these days - a running, skipping, walking, talking toddler who definitely gets her sassiness from her Daddy. We were so very busy over the holidays hosting several bunches of family and are only just now truly getting back into our regular routine thanks to a snow storm that caused us to miss a week of preschool.

Corey splurged and bought me a new laptop for Christmas. We hadn't planned to do big gifts since we have been in the middle of a renovation to our house (you can check it out in the highlight reel on Instagram) but he caught me in frustrated tears more than once trying to use my ancient one for work. However, it took me until now to get all set up and going on my new computer because it doesn't have a USB drive for me to move over and access all of my files. That makes me feel so old putting that out there in words but I got the adapter I needed and spent some time getting my things organized then getting caught up on essentials. Now, I'm ready to get caught up on this little fun space, too.

I didn't do my regular New Year's Intentions post because that was in the middle of the computer transition, family visiting, toddler potty training bootcamp week and I had no time to sit down and share my plans for 2018 but my two major focuses are being present for our family (that is a continuation of last year's) and to find more time for myself and self-care. That second part of this year's goal really came after my accident this year. We are finally near the very end of my treatment (hopefully just one more month) and I feel like such a weight and burden is starting to lift. Unfortunately, that colored so much of my 2017 and the theme of last year really ended up being "stress."

It forced me to find time for myself for doctor's appointments but that actually came at a big expense of pushing away a lot of my personal hobbies. As a wife and mama there just isn't any room to not put forth my best effort in those roles, so I found myself slacking on the mental side of self-care. You know - the wine nights with girlfriends, the mani/pedis, bubble baths with a good book, and this creative space.

Looking forward this year, I really wanted to return here but I have been feeling so uninspired by the space in general. I've felt really pulled to rebrand this space for a few months but have held back because I did it last year in a haste and just didn't find myself forming an attachment to it as I had in the past. So, I dug into the analytics of my site (all seven years worth) and found that it was most popular when branded as Carolina Mrs. I contemplated going back to that old blog name (and mentioned that here) but I'm also a big believer of always moving forward.

So, I struggled with it a little more and felt like I just needed to suck it up and keep it as is so it didn't come off as too flaky. Then, during my little hiatus and planning out my 2018, I started thinking how much I really do value this space and having it as a creative outlet. Its seen me through a lot, since I started it back in 2011. An engagement, a wedding, over five years of marriage, several heart breaking losses for our family, four moves, four jobs (including two really terrible jobs), a pregnancy, almost two years of motherhood, and the complete leap of faith that was leaving a career I loved to be able to put my family first.

This space (and so many of you) have been there for me through a lot - the highest of highs and the lowest of lows - and I am so very grateful. So, after a lot of thought I decided to continue moving this space forward and rebrand my blog once again. After all, its my own little space on the internet so I might as well call it what I want, right?

Introducing, The Blush Magnolia - combining the flower the South is known for with my favorite color (which has appeared quite a bit on this blog over the years) and bringing a little facelift and fresh start to this space.

Oh, I'm so very excited to have found your blog! I, too, have gone through a whirlwind with my blog since starting it in 2013. It's hard to merge authenticity with reality and being aspirational. I think your blog is gorgeous, and I can't wait to follow along as a fellow toddler mama :)

I love the redesign! I'm in a similar place with blogging, and I'm glad you're sticking with it! Looking back, it's really neat to have a record of some of life's milestones. At least that's what I think because I have a horrible memory! Have a great weekend. :)